Borna Nyaoke is a Kenyan

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

and clinical researcher, who took over as Head of Mycetoma Research in 2023 from her previous position as Manager of Clinical Trials at

Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) is a collaborative, patients' needs-driven, non-profit drug research and development (R&D) organization that is developing new treatments for neglected tropical diseases, neglected diseases, notab ...

/ Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (DNDi/GARDP). She previously worked as a Clinical Trial Manager at the KAVI (Kenya AIDS Vaccine Initiative) Institute of Clinical Research, based in the

University of Nairobi The University of Nairobi (uonbi or UoN; ) is a college, collegiate research university based in Nairobi and is the largest List of universities and colleges in Kenya, university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution dat ...

. Nyaoke, a public health specialist, together with Dr. Roselyne Okello, a

radiologist Radiology ( ) is the medical specialty that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide treatment within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiation), but tod ...

, Dr. Nida Okumu, an infectious diseases specialist and Dr. Achieng Aling, an

obstetrician Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgi ...

and

gynecologist Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences) is the area of medicine concerned with conditions affecting the female reproductive system. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, which focuses on pre ...

, founded ''Hema Foundation'', a Nairobi-based

non-government organisation A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

, in 2015. All four were classmates in medical school in Nairobi. Hema focuses on inner city girls aged 17 years and younger, screening for diseases, treating illnesses, encouraging schooling and ''STEM'' subject choices; as well as offering guidance, mentoring and counselling.

Biography

Borna Nyaoke was born (1987) in

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

and She attended Kenyan schools for her elementary and secondary education. She was admitted to the

, where she studied

human medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for patients, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practic ...

, graduating with a

Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...

(MBChB) degree. She graduated from the

University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a Public university, public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University (United Kingdom), Victoria University, it received Ro ...

, with a

Master of Public Health The Master of Public Health (MPH), Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH), Master of Medical Science in Public Health (MMSPH) and the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH), International Masters for Health Leadership (IMHL) are interdisciplinary profes ...

(MPH) degree, specializing in the management of health systems. She also attended the Global Clinical Scholars Research Training (GCSRT) Program at

Harvard School of Medicine Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the United States. It provides patient car ...

, specializing in the conduct of

clinical trials Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human subject research, human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel v ...

. Following the completion of her first degree, Borna Nyaoke interned at

Kenyatta National Hospital The Kenyatta National Hospital is the oldest hospital in Nairobi, Kenya which was established In 1901 as the Native Civil Hospital but later changed in 1963 to Kenyatta National Hospital. It is a public, tertiary, referral hospital for the Mi ...

, then went on to work as a Medical Officer at

The Nairobi Hospital The Nairobi Hospital is a private hospital located in Upper Hill area, Nairobi, Kenya.The hospital was founded in 1954 as the European Hospital, a hospital for Europeans. Location It is located along Argwings Kodhek Road, Upper Hill, Nairobi. ...

. Since February 2018, she has worked at DNDi/GARDP, as a manager of clinical trials. Also, effective January 2015, she serves as an executive director of Health and Wellness Solutions Limited, a private healthcare practice, providing both personal and corporate health solutions to its clients. As of June 2020, she had published the findings of her research in peer-reviewed publications, including the ones listed in this reference. Nyaoke argues that Kenyans used to live longer, before they started consuming highly processed foods and maintaining sedentary lifestyles. By extension, the increasing rates of non-communicable diseases in the community is related to the diet and physical activity and/or inactivity levels of that community.

Awards

* 2017 : Named "Top 40 Women Under 40 in Kenya" by the

Nation Media Group Nation Media Group (NMG), formerly known as East African Newspapers (Nation Series) Ltd, is an East African media group based in Kenya and listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange. It is owned by Aga Khan IV. History NMG was founded in 1959 by A ...

References

External links

Africa Launches Largest Covid Treatment Clinical Trial
As of 1 December 2020. {{DEFAULTSORT:Nyaoke, Borna Living people 1987 births 21st-century Kenyan businesswomen 21st-century Kenyan businesspeople 21st-century Kenyan women scientists 21st-century Kenyan scientists Kenyan healthcare managers University of Nairobi alumni Harvard Medical School alumni Alumni of the University of Liverpool Physician-scientists 21st-century Kenyan women physicians 21st-century Kenyan physicians

Biography

Awards

See also

References

External links